Apply Now!

Apply Now!

All those interested in applying to the S.J. Quinney College of Law must submit their application online through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website at LSAC.org. Specific instructions for each application status can be found on the LSAC.org website.

Application Dates and Deadlines

October 1 – Application available

January 15 – Recommended Application completion date

February 15 – Application submission deadline (Application form and fee)

Application Fee

Application Requirements

Baccalaureate Degree Requirement

You may apply before you receive your undergraduate degree. However, before you matriculate, you must provide official transcripts showing that you have been awarded a baccalaureate degree from a college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or be the foreign
equivalent of a U.S. baccalaureate degree.

Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

All candidates must take the LSAT. LSAT scores that are older than five years will not be accepted for candidates seeking admission. For example, fall 2016 applicants must have a score no older than the 2010 December test. February 2016 LSAT scores will meet our submission deadline.

Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

You also must register for the Credential Assembly Service. It is your responsibility to ensure that transcripts from each U.S. college or university ever attended are sent to the CAS, regardless of credits being transferred or applied toward degree requirements. If you are seeking readmission, you must submit a new CAS report. Once your CAS file is complete, please allow four to six weeks for the S.J. Quinney College of Law to receive and process your CAS report.

Letter(s) of Recommendation

You are required to have one, but may have up to three letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf. Letters of recommendation should come from people who know you well and have had the opportunity to observe you performing the skills listed on our Letter of Recommendation Form. Letters may be submitted in two ways: (1) they may be sent directly to the S.J. Quinney College of Law from the recommender, accompanied by a completed Letter of Recommendation Form; or (2) they may be sent through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service that is included with your CAS registration subscription. The S.J. Quinney College of Law Letter of Recommendation Form is not required when using the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.

Personal Statement

Candidates are required to submit a personal statement. The personal statement is also viewed as a document demonstrating your writing ability; therefore, the personal statement must be written by you. The Admission Committee’s goal is to assemble an intellectually stimulating community of students composed of individuals who have diverse backgrounds and perspectives. In addition to outstanding academic ability, we seek students whose life experiences, backgrounds and interests will enhance our educational community. This includes, but is not limited qualities such as leadership, maturity, organization, knowledge of other languages and cultures, sincere commitment to community service, a history of overcoming disadvantage, extraordinary accomplishment, or success in a previous career. The subject matter of your personal statement is up to you, and although there are no length requirements, most statements average two to three typed, double-spaced pages. The personal statement should let the Admission Committee know more about you as a person, and should address the above qualities if that information is not presented in other areas of your application. Issues addressed in your personal statement may include what background, experiences, and events (positive or negative) have affected you. You may address what perspectives and experiences you will bring to classroom discussions and the law school community or what your motivations are for seeking a legal education.

Applicants Educated Outside The United States

The S.J. Quinney College of Law requires that your foreign transcripts be submitted through the Credential Assembly Service. If you completed any postsecondary academic work outside the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study-abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the Credential Assembly Service registration fee. An International Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and will be incorporated into your Credential Assembly Service Law School Report. To use the Credential Assembly Service for your international documents, follow the online instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each institution and send it promptly to them. More time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. Questions about foreign transcripts and the Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215.968.1001 or LSACinfo@LSAC.org.

Applicants Whose Native Language Is Not English

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit official results from the TOEFL test and the test needs to have been administered in the last 12 months from application. You must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC to be incorporated into your Credential Assembly Service Law School Report. Your score will be included in the International Credential Evaluation Document. LSAC’s TOEFL code for the Credential Assembly Service is 8395. You are not required to submit a TOEFL score if you have received a baccalaureate or graduate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university.

J.D. Applicants

First-year students must attend full-time and begin study fall semester. We require applications to be electronically submitted through the Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) electronic application service. Included is your CAS registration, this service allows you to complete and electronically transmit applications for all ABA-approved law schools. Materials submitted in connection with your application file become the property of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, and cannot be returned, or copied and forwarded elsewhere.

J.D. Applicant Checklist

The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed:

Completed and digitally signed application for the J.D. program

Résumé

Official CAS report

Non-refundable $60 application fee

Personal statement

One letter of recommendation (1 required, but may submit up to 3)

For applicants educated outside the U.S., a foreign transcript evaluation from LSAC and a TOEFL score report (if necessary).

Transfer J.D. Applicants

The S.J. Quinney College of Law enrolls students seeking to transfer from other law schools. Students wishing to transfer from another law school for the purpose of obtaining a law degree from the University of Utah must: (1) have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; (2) be a student in good standing at an ABA-approved law school and have completed the first-year full-time student curriculum without having begun the second year; (3) have an exceptional law school academic record; and (4) possess qualities that would add significantly to the educational experience of Utah law students. The application and file completion deadline is July 15. Files completed after the deadline will be considered only if circumstances allow. It is your responsibility to make sure the application file is complete.

Transfer J.D. Applicant Checklist
The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed:

Completed and digitally signed application form for the J.D. program as a transfer applicant

Non-refundable $60 application fee

Résumé

Official CAS report from LSAC, including undergraduate transcript showing bachelor’s degree was conferred

Letter of good standing from current law school that includes class rank based on first-year courses or a statement that the school does not rank students. This letter should not be sent until all first-year grades have been posted.

Visiting J.D. Applicants

A visiting student may enter in either fall or spring semester for a minimum of one semester and a maximum of two semesters. Candidates seeking to visit in their third year do not need to have spring grades posted on their transcripts. This will allow for expedited processing of their applications by the S.J. Quinney College of Law. A visiting student must be in good standing at an ABA-approved law school. Visiting status cannot be converted to transfer status. The application and file completion deadline is 35 days before the beginning of the semester of intended enrollment. It is your responsibility to make sure the application file is complete.

Visiting Applicant Checklist

The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed:

Completed and digitally signed application form for the J.D. program as a visiting applicant

Non-refundable $60 application fee

Résumé

Official CAS report from LSAC, including undergraduate transcript showing bachelor’s degree was conferred

Official law school transcript with most recent semester’s grades posted

Global J.D. Program Applicants

The S.J. Quinney College of Law accepts applications from foreign lawyers to enter the J.D. program. Consistent with ABA rules, Global J.D. Program students will receive one or two semester(s) worth of credit for their prior foreign legal education. However, instead of enrolling in the second and third year curriculum, the law school will place these foreign lawyers in the first-year program, thus putting them on an equal playing field with their U.S. counterparts. The first-year experience will give foreign lawyers the foundational experience they cannot gain exclusively in an upper class curriculum, evaluations that are comparable to any other J.D. student in the country, complete socialization and integration, and full access to student organizations as well as journal and clinical opportunities. After completion of the first-year curriculum and posting of grades, the students’ performance at the College of Law will be evaluated. Based on that evaluation and a review of the students’ foreign law school academic record, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will determine whether to grant credits for the student’s prior educational training. Students who achieve at least a 2.75 GPA after the first year will be granted up to one-year of credit (30 credits) for their prior legal study. The Global J.D. students will focus their first summer and second year on advanced training in a specialized area, including innovation (technology commercialization), environmental law, health law, criminal justice, family law, and global justice (human rights and the rule of law).

Requirements

Foreign lawyer candidates are required to have a foreign law degree that makes them eligible to practice law in their home country and is at least the foreign equivalent of a U.S. baccalaureate degree

Global J.D. Applicant Checklist

The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed:

Completed and digitally signed application for the Global J.D. program

International J.D. Applicants

International candidates must comply with all admission and application procedures. All international applicants must submit the International J.D. Application form. The S.J. Quinney College of Law requires that your foreign transcripts be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. If you completed any postsecondary work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if your foreign work was completed through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by an American or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. The evaluation of your foreign transcript is included in the CAS subscription fee. A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your CAS report. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if your native language is not English.

International J.D. Applicant Checklist

The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed:

Completed and digitally signed application for International J.D. program

LL.M. Applicants

The S.J. Quinney College of Law offers a full-time one year for those wishing to pursue postgraduate study in the legal aspects of natural resources, the environment, international environmental policy, public lands, and energy.

Requirements

A U.S. law degree

LL.M. Applicant Checklist

The Admission Committee will not consider your file complete until the following have been received and processed: